SUSTAINABILITY
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ambitious goals to deliver on the aim of reducing the USA’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030, and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Te best choice Returning to the telecoms industry, and fixed infrastructure in particular, it is widely recognised that fibre is a much more sustainable option than its copper counterpart. Te materials are extracted in a more sustainable way than copper and much less energy is used transmiting data along a fibre optic cable. An industry report from Australasian research firm, Sapere Research Group, would appear to back the view that fibre is the best broadband option for carbon- conscious consumers. Te study was completed by the company on
objective of easing the current cost-of-living crisis caused by rising energy for homes and businesses, and accelerating the roll out of renewable energy alternatives. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
said: “We need to act now to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices, diversify our gas supply for next winter and accelerate the clean energy transition. Te quicker we switch to renewables and hydrogen, combined with more energy efficiency, the quicker we will be truly independent and master our energy system.” Executive Vice-President for the European
Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, added: “Let’s dash into renewable energy at lightning speed. Renewables are a cheap, clean and potentially endless source of energy and instead of funding the fossil fuel industry elsewhere, they create jobs here.” Meanwhile, in America, the Biden administration
introduced the Climate-Related Financial Risk executive order, which included a call for a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, alongside a Federal Sustainability Plan, which sets out a range of
Fibre Yearbook 2023
behalf of New Zealand operators Chorus, Enable, Tuatahi First Fibre and Northpower Fibre. It used real-world network data to assess the emissions impact of fibre and VDSL. For other technologies, it used a mix of actual and theoretical data. It focused explicitly on broadband connections to homes and smaller businesses. It examined the emissions during the access network use and includes the shipping and disposal of equipment, such as optical network terminals and wifi routers, but not the activity in building copper, fibre, HFC or the mobile networks. According to the report, an entry-level fibre
plan that operates at 50Mb/s is up to 41% more efficient than copper VDSL and up to 56% more efficient than 4G fixed wireless. For higher-speed plans, around 300Mb/s, fibre was found to be up to 29% more efficient than HFC, and up to 77% more efficient than 5G fixed wireless. Te research clarified that the emissions profile of fibre stays consistent as speeds increase, while the emissions for alternative technologies increase with speed. However, there is always more that can be done.
Te emissions research within the study highlighted that equipment in the home is a significant source of power usage for a fibre broadband service, contributing up to 65% of its emissions. Ten there is the network construction and the emissions
BT’s business goals include helping its customers reduce their own carbon emissions by 60 million tonnes by 2030”
created by everything that entails, without forgeting supply chains. In fact, another recent market report, this time by S&P Global Market Intelligence, cited the later as “the biggest climate headache” for European telcos. According to a news release from the market
intelligence firm, authored by lead analyst Iuri Struta, scope 1 emissions are those emited directly by a company’s business, and these represent 3.2% of the carbon footprint generated by the largest 15 telcos in Europe by market capitalisation. Scope 2 is the kind of indirect emissions associated with the purchase of energy, and they represent about 24.6%. What the data found was that most of the companies’ emissions are scope 3, which emanates from the upstream and downstream operations across their supply chains, including emissions caused by customers’ use of the companies’ products or services.
Sustainability in action So, how are network providers and operators rising to the green challenge? For UK incumbent, BT Group, it began with a business-wide plan to focus and accelerate efforts to build a beter business for its customers, the economy and society. Te BT Group Manifesto outlines the action the business is taking, and the measurable commitments it has put in place, to create greater impact with a clear commercial agenda. It also sets the agenda for future initiatives to
ensure the group’s activity is in line with a more sustainable future. Te company has existing goals to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its own operations by 2030 and to help 25 million people across the UK improve their digital skills by 2025. As part of the Manifesto, the business’s goals include helping its customers reduce their own carbon emissions by 60 million tonnes by 2030, build towards a circular BT by 2030 and launch a new movement to improve the UK’s diverse digital talent pipeline. Te BT Group Manifesto was launched at the
end of 2021, and the company has, more recently, offered an update, charting its progress in the area over the last 12 months. Among its progress against
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